How-To · Cyber Fraud · Last verified October 2026
How to File a Complaint for Online Shopping Fraud (2026)
Online shopping fraud and an ordinary delivery dispute feel similar, but they go to different places. If a fake seller or website cheated you, took your money and vanished, sent a counterfeit, or used a shopping offer to run a payment scam, that is a crime and the route starts with the cybercrime portal and the 1930 helpline. If a genuine platform simply let you down, the consumer route fits. This guide, for online shoppers, shows how to tell the two apart and how to file in each case. It is general information, not legal advice. Last verified October 2026.
- Fraud vs dispute: a fake or untraceable seller is fraud; a shortfall by a genuine platform is a consumer matter.
- Fraud route: call 1930 and file on cybercrime.gov.in at once, tell your bank, then lodge an FIR.
- Consumer route: grievance officer, then the National Consumer Helpline 1915, then a consumer commission under the CP Act 2019.
- Evidence: save the listing, website or profile, order and payment records, delivery messages and all chats.
- Offences: IT Act Section 66D, and Sections 318 and 319 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
01The short answer
First decide what happened, because it points to the forum:
| What happened | Where to go |
|---|---|
| A fake seller or site cheated you, no delivery | cybercrime.gov.in and 1930, then FIR |
| A payment scam dressed as a shopping offer | cybercrime.gov.in and 1930, then FIR |
| A counterfeit from an unknown seller | cybercrime.gov.in, and the platform if known |
| A genuine platform delivered late, wrong or defective | Grievance officer, then consumer commission |
Fraud is a crime and goes to the cybercrime portal and the police. A shortfall by a real company is a consumer matter. Many cases are a mix, so you can use more than one route on the same facts.
02Fraud or a service dispute?
The dividing line is whether you were cheated by a fraudster or let down by a real business. Signs of fraud include a seller or website you cannot trace, a deal that moved you off the platform to pay by UPI or bank transfer, a price too good to be true, pressure to pay fast, and a seller who goes silent after payment.
If instead you bought from a known platform and the product was late, wrong, defective or not as described, that is a consumer service dispute, not fraud. For that path, the step by step is in how to file a consumer complaint for online shopping. This guide focuses on the fraud case.
03If it is fraud: report fast
For fraud where money was lost, the golden hour rules apply. Call 1930 and file at cybercrime.gov.in immediately, so the beneficiary account can be flagged for a hold before the money moves on. Give the transaction details, the accounts or UPI handles used, the website or social media shop, and the numbers and profiles involved.
Keep the acknowledgement number. For the full reporting walk through, see how to report cyber crime and online fraud and how to file a cyber crime complaint.
04Tell your bank or UPI app
In parallel, tell your bank in writing to dispute the payment and contact the receiving bank, and raise a dispute in the UPI app if you paid by UPI. Speed gives the best chance of a hold on the fraudster account.
Keep every reference number. If you shared any card or UPI credentials with the "seller", change them and block the card. The bank record ties into the money trail that the cybercrime portal tries to follow.
05If it is a genuine platform: the consumer route
Where a genuine e-commerce company is at fault, start with its grievance officer, who must be named under the e-commerce rules. If that fails, call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, which mediates many online shopping complaints, and if still unresolved file a consumer complaint.
A consumer complaint under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 is filed on the e-Jagriti portal at the tier set by the value paid: the District Commission for claims up to Rs 50 lakh, the State Commission above that up to Rs 2 crore, and the National Commission above Rs 2 crore. This route is for a deficiency in service or an unfair trade practice, not for a pure fraud by an untraceable seller.
06FIR and evidence
Online shopping fraud is a crime, so you can lodge an FIR, and a cybercrime portal complaint can lead to one. If your local station declines on jurisdiction, insist on a Zero FIR, which any station must register and transfer.
Evidence decides the case. Save the listing or advertisement, the website address or social media profile, the full order and payment records, delivery messages, and every chat with the seller. Screenshots with dates and the exact payment reference are the most useful proof.
07The offences involved
Shopping fraud attracts several offences. Cheating by personation using a computer resource is an offence under Section 66D of the Information Technology Act, 2000. Plain cheating is an offence under Section 318 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and cheating by personation under Section 319, the criminal code that replaced the Indian Penal Code.
Selling a counterfeit can also attract trademark and other offences. You do not need to name the section to report; the police and the portal classify it. Report fast and preserve the evidence.
08Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Be clear on the limits. The actual complaint goes to the cybercrime portal, the police, the National Consumer Helpline or a consumer commission; Claw is not that filing and does not replace it. Where Claw helps is the dispute and case layer that follows: it tracks consumer commission matters, the resulting FIR led court cases, banking ombudsman escalations and appeals, across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, with alerts and monitoring, so a buyer or an adviser can follow the matter as it moves. Its Legal GPT researches across 30 crore+ judgments, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990. Results return in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not train its AI models on your documents. To check whether a seller or company has existing litigation, run a case search across Indian courts by name. A clean result means nothing was found on the forums and date searched, and this is general information, not legal advice.
Related reading: how to file a consumer complaint for online shopping, how to report cyber crime and online fraud, and what to do after UPI or payment fraud.
09Sources and further reading
- National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (and helpline 1930): cybercrime.gov.in
- National Consumer Helpline (1915): consumerhelpline.gov.in
- e-Jagriti (consumer case filing and status): e-jagriti.gov.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Report an active fraud to 1930 and cybercrime.gov.in at once.
10Frequently asked questions
How do I file a complaint for online shopping fraud in India?
First decide if it is fraud or a service dispute. If a fake seller or website cheated you and money was lost, call 1930 and file on cybercrime.gov.in at once so the beneficiary account can be flagged for a hold, tell your bank in writing, save all evidence, and lodge an FIR. If a genuine platform let you down with a late, wrong or defective order, use its grievance officer, the National Consumer Helpline 1915, and then a consumer commission.
What is the difference between shopping fraud and a consumer dispute?
Fraud is being cheated by a fraudster, for example a fake seller or website that takes your money and vanishes, a counterfeit from an untraceable seller, or a payment scam dressed as a shopping offer. That is a crime for the cybercrime portal and the police. A consumer dispute is a shortfall by a genuine business, such as a late, wrong or defective delivery, which goes to the grievance officer and a consumer commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Can I recover money paid to a fake online seller?
There is a real chance if you report within the golden hour. Calling 1930 and filing on cybercrime.gov.in at once lets the system flag the beneficiary account so the bank can try to hold the funds before they move on. Tell your bank in writing to dispute the payment and raise a UPI dispute in the app. The more the money has already been shifted through other accounts, the harder recovery becomes, and it is never guaranteed.
Should I go to the police or the consumer forum for online shopping fraud?
For a pure fraud by a fake or untraceable seller, go to the police and the cybercrime portal, because it is a crime. For a problem with a genuine platform, the consumer forum is the right place. Many situations are a mix, and you can use more than one route on the same facts. If your local police station declines on jurisdiction for the fraud, insist on a Zero FIR, which any station must register and then transfer.
What evidence do I need for an online shopping fraud complaint?
Save the product listing or advertisement, the website address or social media profile of the seller, the full order and payment records with the exact payment reference, any delivery or tracking messages, and every chat with the seller. Screenshots with visible dates are the most useful proof. The payment reference ties your complaint to the money trail the cybercrime portal follows, so capture it before any app chat is deleted.